Its a question that gets asked repeatedly and we have recently been worn out buy personal opinions along with various facts. Almost afraid to say what I like any more cus someone somehow will find fault with it? That said its a personal descicion. For resurant go with a Stefano ferraro, forno Napaletano or MV forni, think we can all agree on that one OOPs or Acunto (sorrry craig) for home oven well I aint touchin that one Narrow your search, what you gonna do in it, (how many) size, Budget? and are you concerned on dome hieght John

Best bang for your buck was what I am after. I want an opportunity to cook in these various ovens as well. I have only cooked and baked in the Ferrara in Greenpoint and a friend's self-made WFO (as far as WFO's go).

If it was modular and movable that would be ideal.

Capacity for a home one would not need to be that great -- 2-3 pies. For a restaurant WFO I think I would want something bigger than the Ferrara at PG's.

Budget is going to be partially determined by what the market prices are for these ovens -- they cost what they cost and that's what I'll have to pay.

I think it is mostly implied that a WFO would be used for Neapolitan/Nearlypolitan. I could bake other styles when it is cooler but these ovens lose heat fairly quickly when used for unfired cooking.

I do want something that is easy to get good results with/not tempermental.

@Jet_deck I'd certainly hire you if you are building the oven I'm after. Be great to try out your oven some time when you are done.

The flaw of the Acunto is that it relies on a medium density insulation as a bolster for the dome. For commercial use, this is not a real problem, as the oven is always in use and maintains latent heat. For personal use, however, it means a very long firing time if you only use it once or thrice a month.

Best bang for the occasional pizza cook is going to be a heavily insulated thin (2-3 inch) refractory mass, and not very big.

With all the opinionated folks around here I'm a bit disappointed no one has a suggestion.

John, Sorry I missed this the first time around. If I didn't have my oven and I didn't want to spend that much, I would be looking very hard at the MV Forni for a complete oven and the FGM if I wanted a modular oven.

Logged

"We make great pizza, with sourdough when we can, commercial yeast when we must, but always great pizza."Craig's Neapolitan Garage

Thanks everyone -- I am feeling slightly more informed yet far from having the clarity I need to make this decision. I really wish there was a place that had many of these ovens side by side so I/one could compare. I still feel like I am shooting in the dark.

Thanks everyone -- I am feeling slightly more informed yet far from having the clarity I need to make this decision. I really wish there was a place that had many of these ovens side by side so I/one could compare. I still feel like I am shooting in the dark.

It's intimidating to say the least.But you do have some pretty experienced people here forming a consensus on maybe 3-4 different ovens. Research the heck out of those and hopefully you'll be able to make a confident choice. Good luck.

Thanks everyone -- I am feeling slightly more informed yet far from having the clarity I need to make this decision. I really wish there was a place that had many of these ovens side by side so I/one could compare. I still feel like I am shooting in the dark.

Johnny - I don't think it is that dire, and although you have already cooked in a SF, I would not compare that oven to a small one for home use. Tom had some good wisdom. I have a FB Primaveria 28" oven and it takes me 45 minutes to get up to Neapolitan temps. I can only cook one pizza at a time, but I usually have lass than 10 people to cook for on a weekly basis. If you get a NP oven from Naples, you will be looking at a minimum 3-4 hours pre-heat.

You want to look for a refractory castable. FGM and FB have great ovens for home use and fit this bill. The pre-made ones are probably what you want to look at. I would take a look at ovens with 38-40in diameters if you want to make more than one pizza at a time (and have that skill-set!). Dome height is important - but not critical. Most all FB ovens have an acceptable dome height for Neapolitan pizza if you have the dough skills to adapt to the oven (as you do). The same for FGM.

John, Sorry I missed this the first time around. If I didn't have my oven and I didn't want to spend that much, I would be looking very hard at the MV Forni for a complete oven and the FGM if I wanted a modular oven.

This was basically what my decision came down to. Both great ovens. I went FGM for ease of installation and it about $4k less for a similar sized oven. Not many talk of this, but I like the versatility of the FGM too with the larger door (for the tall model) and the insulated inner door and ability to close the damper for smoking food. I know I would have been happy with the Marra Forni too though.

How long have you had it? Any caveats? Anything you (continue to) love? Anything show some wear-and-tear?

I had just made the decision at the time of the post. It has been built and is one its way to the U.S. right now. It probably won't be up and running until the end of November at the earliest. Robyn has been using hers for a bit now, but I don't think anyone here has had one for a long time (long term evaluation).